ProjectSPACE is a joint project between the Parking Authority of Baltimore City and the Mayor's Commission on Disabilities. In addition to the above, ProjectSPACE also increases the duration limit for parking at the meter to at least four hours to give people with disabilities additional time to get to and from their destination.Back to Top

Additional areas will be added in the future so please continue to visit our website for updates.Back to Top

Q3.

Who does it impact?

A3.

Anyone who parks in Baltimore City, particularly in the areas included in Phases 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of ProjectSPACE, including employees, patrons, business owners, residents, and visitors.

As of 2013, cars displaying disability hang tags or license plates are subject to posted residential permit parking restrictions. Download the press release from the Department of Transportation for more information.

In the areas where ProjectSPACE has launched, parking meters at both the reserved spaces and the EZ Park meters are equipped with parking meters that meet the newest Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. Payment is required at any meter that meets ADA requirements.Back to Top

ProjectSPACE was created to help ease Baltimore’s parking problem by increasing the availability of parking for those with a disability and decreasing disability placard thefts.

Before Phase 1 was launched, it was extremely difficult to find available on-street parking Downtown. The city’s policy of allowing free parking to vehicles displaying disability placards proved too tempting for some without disabilities to resist, leading to the widespread theft and abuse of these placards. While census data from 2010 shows that approximately 10% of Baltimore adults are eligible to apply for disability placards, vehicles with these placards were sometimes taking up 100% of the parking spaces on some downtown blocks, often parking all day.

By removing the free parking associated with disability placards and license plates, the incentive to steal and abuse them was eliminated. Before the launch of Phase 1, the average number of disability placards reported stolen to the Baltimore City Police Department was 23 per month. Since the launch, that average plummeted to just three. Download spreadsheet here.

Faced with the prospect of paying full price for parking at a metered location, those who were using disability placards for the free parking and not the accessibility in Phases 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (Mt Washington, Hampden, Station North and Midtown) now park elsewhere or do not drive. This has freed up hundreds of on-street metered parking spaces every day. Prior to the launch of Project SPACE, 95% of the parking spaces on some of the busiest downtown blocks in Phase 1 were occupied, making it nearly impossible to locate an available parking space. Since the launch, 77% of the same blocks are occupied, increasing the number of parking spaces available by 18%. Watch a video that shows parking before ProjectSPACE and after.

People with disabilities now find it easier to locate a parking space, either at a multi-space parking meter or at one of the single-space meters reserved for people with disabilities. In many cases, they are also paying less than before ProjectSPACE because they were paying to park in a garage, where it would cost three times as much.

Future areas will expand the areas of accessible parking for people with disabilities.Back to Top

Q6.

Isn’t free parking for those with disability placards or license plates mandated by law?

A6.

No. There is no Baltimore City or Maryland state law requiring free parking for people with disabilities. The policy of allowing those with disability placards and license plates to be exempt from the required payment of parking meters was created after the 1990 passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which found the traditional crank-turn parking meters to be non-accessible. The multi-space EZ Park meters that were introduced in 2004 use newer technology with no crank-turn mechanism. We lowered the credit card reader and coin drop locations in the EZ Park meters in Phases 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (Mt. Washington, Hampden, Station North and Midtown) to meet the newest ADA standards. New single-space meters installed in the reserved spaces throughout Phases 1, 2 and 3, 4 and 5 (Mt. Washington, Hampden, Midtown and Station North) meet ADA standards to be more accessible for those with disabilities.Back to Top

Q7.

What was Baltimore City’s policy for vehicles parking with a disability placard and/or tag?

A7.

Baltimore City, like many other cities, had a policy (not law) that allowed vehicles displaying a disability placard or tag to park on street for free due to traditional parking meters not meeting Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. This policy will no longer be in effect in Phase 1 (Central Business District), Phase 2 (Fells Point & Harbor East) and Phase 3 (Federal Hill), Phase 4 (Mount Vernon), and Phase 5 (Hampden, Mt. Washington, Station North and Midtown) of ProjectSPACE. All parkers in these areas, including those with a disability placard and/or tag, will be required to pay for on-street parking.Back to Top

Q8.

Does ProjectSPACE affect off-street parking such as parking garages and private lots?

A8.

Off-street parking options such as private garages and lots will not be directly affected by ProjectSPACE. However, as a result of the program, more commuters may choose to park off-street, which will create more on-street parking spaces.Back to Top

Q9.

What is the policy for parking at meters that do not meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines?

A9.

If you are parked at a meter that does not meet ADA guidelines, and you are displaying disability plates or a disability placard, you are allowed to park for double the duration of the meter up to four hours.Back to Top

Q10.

What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and how does it affect ProjectSPACE?

A10.

The ADA is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990 to increase access for people with disabilities. The ADA provides requirements for accessible parking options for people with disabilities, and ProjectSPACE meets all of these requirements. For more information about the ADA, please visit www.ada.gov.Back to Top

Q11.

Where can I find information about obtaining a handicap placard and/or tag?

Phase 2 of ProjectSPACE starts mid-SeptemberWMAR In FOCUS
August 29, 2016
Click here to see the story.

Parking Program Aims to Make Sure Disabled People Get to Use Reserved SpotsBaltimore Fishbowl
by Stephen Babcock
August 24, 2016
Click here to read more.

Parking Authority of Baltimore City’s ProjectSPACE to Launch September 27Baltimore Sun
by Colin Campbell
August 23, 2016
Click here to read the online article. Click here to download the story from the print edition from August 24, 2016.

Parking authority, city to launch the second phase of ProjectSPACEThe Daily Record
August 22, 2016
Click here to download the story.

Baltimore City Debuts Parking Meters For Drivers With Disabilities.WBAL Radio 1090Click here to read more.

City to Reserve Hundreds of Parking Spaces for DisabledYvonne Wenger, Baltimore Sun 02/02/14

The number of coveted parking spaces available to the able-bodied on crowded downtown streets is about to shrink as Baltimore begins reserving metered spots for disabled drivers. Earmarking 200 metered spaces in the central business district is the first step in an 18-month plan to reserve 10 percent of spaces citywide. Officials hatched the plan to accommodate disabled drivers and combat the theft of handicapped placards — which until now have let drivers park anywhere in the city for free and have been a favorite target of thieves.Click here to read more.

A new parking program aimed at creating more on-street parking availability by curbing the abuse of handicap hangtags is coming to town. The Parking Authority of Baltimore City and the Mayor's Commission on Disabilities have partnered to launch ProjectSPACE. Set to launch sometime late March or early April, ProjectSPACE requires that all people parking on street pay for parking, including those who possess a disability placard. In addition, the program will reserve more than 200 on-street parking spaces for people with disabilities, making it easier for them to reach their destinations.Click here to read more.